[Photo by John McArthur on Unsplash.]
Paul does not pull any punches when he is writing to Timothy about the false teachers at Ephesus. To say they were not nice people is a massive understatement. Here are some headline statements which we could use to describe them.
• Let's make lots of money. [These false teachers saw their faith as a great opportunity to make money. For them godliness was a means of financial gain].
• It's all about me. [Paul describes them as conceited. They had inflated egos.]
• There is nothing better than a good argument. [They had an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes and they liked to win their argument.]
• They were experts at stirring up envy. [Probably this related to the fact that their success was judged by the amount of income generated. If they saw someone else doing better financially, this provoked jealousy.]
• They liked to cause division in the church. [They had an array of 'weapons' at their disposal to cause havoc and bitter division.]
• Their minds were like a sewer. [Their minds were corrupt. The precise nature of this pollution is not specified.]
• Have you heard about! [They loved to spread slander about those who disagreed with them.]
• They were not genuine followers of Jesus Christ (that goes without saying).
If someone spreads false teachings and does not agree with sound words (that is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ) and with the teaching that accords with godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions, and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a way of making profit. [1 Timothy 6:3-5 NET]
It is difficult to label these false teachers. There are some false teachers mentioned in the letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 2 and 3) - for example, there is a group known as the Nicolaitans and also some are said to follow the way of Balaam. There is also someone called Jezebel (who might or might not have existed as a person) . The church at Ephesus is commended for having dealt with false teachers which would suggest that Timothy had been successful in God's hands in combatting this heresy. Sadly, despite this commendation, the church had left its first love. [I have provided links to past blogs where I have had a look at the features of the churches of Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira and Laodicea. See the list at the end of the blog]
The description of the error at Ephesus described in Paul's letter to Timothy bears some similarities to the description of the church at Laodicea.
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered and I need nothing, not realising that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [Revelation 3:17]
But, in general terms, there are some large lessons which we could highlight in today's blog.
1. A desire to gain wealth in any shape or form can have devastating consequences.
2. In our churches, we should make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2-3). We need to be vigilant and decisive where we observe some people who are stirring up discord.
3. We might not agree on all points of doctrine, but we must learn to maintain Christian love for each other despite any differences in Biblical interpretation. [See blog entitled, Disagreeing Agreeably
4. Humility is an essential quality in Christian service. It is so helpful to keep the example of the Lord Jesus at the forefront of our thinking and behaviour. [Philippians 2: 3-11]
5. Our conduct is the product of our thoughts and it is necessary for our minds to be filled with wholesome thoughts and teaching. We will deal with this in a future blog which I have still to write. However, one of the early Day Share posts tackled this. [The Mind 13/09/19]
Here are some previous blogs dealing with error and false teaching in the churches in Asia Minor as described in the seven letters to the churches (Revelation 2 and 3)
The Church at Ephesus
The Church at Pergamum
The Church at Thyatira
The Church at Laodicea
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